Document-aligning device for office machines

ABSTRACT

Document-aligning device for office machines, comprising a guide plate for the document, first and second stops for arresting two edges of the document in two directions perpendicular to each other, a rotatable roller which cooperates with the plate to urge the document first against the first stop, and means for turning the shaft of the roller through 90* when the document is arrested by the first stop as a result of which the roller then urges the document against the second stop.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Bruno Sandrone; 1,022,766 4/1912 Barnard 197/139 Antonio Toniolo, both of Ivrea, Torino, 1,069.726 8/1913 Roche 197/139 Italy 1,126,451 1/1915 Hagerstrom. 197/138 [2]] Appl. No 822,248 1,531,935 3/1925 Herrman 197/139 [22] Filed May 6,1969 1,718,467 6/1929 Labarre 197/130 [45] Patented June 1,1971 1,913,753 6/1933 Going 197/138 [73] Assignee lng. C. Olivetti & C., S.p.A., 2,878,916 3/1959 Sti low 197/135 tTorino), Italy 3,148,758 9/1964 Larsen... 197/127 Priority y 8,1968 3,312,323 4/1967 Priebs.... 197/176 1 1 Italy 3,065,835 11/1962 Drilllck 197/2 [3 l 5l572-A/68 Primary ExaminerErnest T. Wright, Jr.

AttorneyKevin C. McMahon [54] DOCUMENT-ALIGNING DEVICE FOR OFFICE MACHINES 7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl .1 197/127,

197/135' 197/138, 197/139 ABSTRACT: Document-aligning device for office machines, [51] Int. Cl B41 j 13/00 comprising a guide plate for the document, first and second [50] Field of Search 197/127, stops f arresting two edges f the document in two 135, 136, 133, 139, 140, 141, directions perpendicular to each other, a rotatable roller 142, 176 which cooperates with the plate to urge the document first against the first stop, and means for tumin the shaft of the [56] References cued roller through 90 when the document is ar ested by the first UNITED STATES PATENTS stop as a result of which the roller then urges the document 1,018,701 2/1912 Dyer 197/139 against the second stop.

PATENTED JUN H9?! 3.581.862

sum 2 or 2 INVENTORS BRUN 0 SAN DRONE ANTONIO ONIOLO BY y ATTO RNEY DOCUMENT-ALIGNING DEVICE FOR OFFICE MACHINES CROSS-REFERENCETO RELATED APPLICATION The convention priority application for this invention is Italian Application No. 51572-A/68 filed on May 8, 1968 in Italy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document-aligning device for office machines, comprising a guide plate for the document and a pair of stops for arresting two edges of the document in two directions perpendicular to each other.

2. Description of the Prior Art Various devices for aligning documents in two directions are known. In these devices, the document is generally urged in the two directions by separate elements, as a result of which the device is complicated and costly. In one known device, the document is constantly urged in an oblique direction so as to produce a component in the two perpendicular directions This device, however, is not very reliable in operation.

The object of the present invention is to produce a device which obviates these disadvantages and is simple and reliable in operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a document-aligning device for office machines, comprising a guide plate for the document, first and second stops for arresting two edges of the document in two directions perpendicular to each other, a rotatable roller which cooperates with the plate to urge the document first against the first stop, and means for turning the shaft of the roller through 90 when the document is arrested by the first stop, as a result of which the roller then urges the document against the second stop.

The invention thus enables one and the same advancing or feed roller for the documents to urge the document first in one direction and then in the perpendicular direction.

The invention will be described in more detail, by way of example, but with reference to the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a partial longitudinal section from the left of a,

teleprinter incorporating an aligning device embodying to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a front view of a detail of FIG. 1 in a particular working position;

FIG. 3 is another partial longitudinal section of the device from the left;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a detail of FIG. 3 in a particular working position;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of another detail of the device; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded partial perspective view taken from the left-hand rear part of the device of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The aligning device is particularly suitable for documents to be preprinted for subsequent automatic reading for example checks to be preprinted with data by means of optical or magnetic characters. The printing of such data must be effected at a very precise distance from the bottom edge and the righthand edge of the check.

Referring to FIG. 1, the reference 10 indicates the usual paper cylinder or platen of a printing machine, for example a teleprinter. The platen I0 is rotatable in the fixed frame of the machine in a manner known per se. A printing device constituted by a group of type wheels 11 can cooperate with the platen 10, the type wheels 11 being mounted on a carriage 12 slidable transversely on two guides 13 fixed to the frame of the machine.

The machine is moreover provided with a front feed device comprising a vertical plate 14 integral with two horizontal plates 15 fixed to the frame of the machine. The front feed device moreover comprises a plate 16 disposed in front of the plate 14 and fixed to a shaft 17. This shaft 17 can turn in a pair of holes arranged in two upper projections 18 (FIG. 6) of a frame 19 fixed to the frame of the machine between the platen l0 and the carriage 12 (FIG. I The frame 19 is provided with a window 20 through which the wheels 11 can strike against the platen 10. On the frame 19 there is moreover disposed a horizontal bar 21 which constitutes a first stop for the bottom edge ofthe document or check 22 inserted from the front.

The aligning device embodying the invention comprises a roller 23 made of material with a high coefficient of friction, for example rubber, the roller 23 being fixed on a shaft 24 rotatable in two arms 25 (FIG. 6) of a bail 26. The bail 26 is provided with a lug 27 normally bearing through the action of a spring 28 against a projection 29 of an angle bracket 30 fixed to the frame of the machine. The angle bracket 30 is moreover provided with another lug 31 adapted to operate with the lug 27 when the bail 26 turns through 90. A horizontal shaft 32 is rotatable in the angle bracket 30, the bail 26 being rotatable on the shaft 32 by means of a sleeve fixed to the crosspiece of the bail 26.

On the shaft 32 there is fixed a first bevel gear 33 meshing with a similar bevel gear 34 fixed on the shaft 24. Moreover, on the shaft 32 there is fixed a second bevel gear 36 in engagement with a similar bevel gear 37 rotatable on a transverse shaft 38 fixed to the frame of the machine. Through the medi{ um of a sleeve 40, the gear 37 is fast with a pulley 39 connected by means of a belt 41 to another pulley 42 (FIG. 3) rotatable on a shaft 43 rotating counterclockwise continuously by means of an electric motor which is not shown in the drawing.

The pulley 42 is fast with the driven part of a clutch 44 which is normally held open or disengaged by a projection 45 of a lever 46 pivoted on a fixed spindle 47. The lever 46 is provided with a hooked projection 48 normally bearing through the action of a spring 49 on a pin 50 ofa rocking lever 51. This rocking lever 5 is pivoted at 52 on the arm 53 of a bail 54 pivoted on the spindle 47, a spring 55 moreover connecting the rocking lever 51 to the arm 53.

Another arm 56 of the ball 54 is connected to a connecting rod 57 in engagement with an element adapted to be shifted from an inoperative position to a working position and constituted by an eccentric 58. This eccentric 58 is fast through the medium ofa sleeve 59 with a disc 60 (FIG. 1) rotatable on the shaft 43 and constituting the driven part of another clutch 61 having two inoperative positions. The clutch 61 comprises a tooth 62 pivoted on the disc 60 which is loose on the shaft 43, the tooth 62 being adapted to cooperate with a shoulder 63 of a disc 64 'fixed on the shaft 43, a spring 65 normally biasing the tooth 62 counterclockwise. The tooth 62 is fast through the medium of a pin 66 with an arm 67 coaxial therewith. The arm 67 is connected via a link 68 to another arm 69 also pivoted on the disc 60. The arm 69 is provided with a projection 70 normally bearing against one end 71 of a lever 72 which can turn on the spindle 47. The tooth 62 is provided with a similar projection 73 disposed at l80 from the projection 71 and adapted to cooperate with one end 74 of a second lever 75 also pivoted on the spindle 47.

77 pivoted on a spindle 78. The lever 77 is provided with a pin 79 normally bearing through the action of a spring 80 against an extension 81' of a lever 82. This last-mentioned lever 82 is pivoted on a fixed pin 83 and normally bears against an edge 84 of a window in the plate 14. Finally, on the lever 82 there is fixed a key 86 which is depressible manually to operate the aligning device.

The bail 54 is provided with a third arm 87 connected by means of another connecting rod 88 to an arm 89. This arm'89 is fixed on a shaft 91 which can turn in the frame of the machine and to which here is fixed a second arm 92 similarto the arm 89. Each of the arms 89, 92 is connected by a pin and slot to a corresponding connecting rod 93 pivoted on an arm 94 fixed to the shaft 17. A spring 96 forms a flexible coupling between each arm 89, 92 and the corresponding connecting rod 93.

The lever 75 is normally caused to bear through the action of a spring 97 against a pin 98 of a lever 99 pivoted on a fixed pivot 101. The lever 99 is connected by a connecting rod 102 to a lever 103 pivoted on a fixed pivot 104 and normally bearing against a fixed stop 106. The lever 103 is provided with an inclined lug 107 (FIG. 2) on which there can act a pin 108 fixed to an angle bracket 109 (FIG, 1) of the carriage 12, such action occurring when the carriage 12 arrives in a predetermined transverse position with respect to the platen 10.

The rocking lever 51 (FIG. 3) is provided with another pin 111 adapted to cooperate with an extension 112 of a lever 113 pivoted on the spindle 78. The lever 113 is normally caused to bear through the action of a spring 114 against a fixed stop 116 and is provided with a pin 115 engaging a seat 120 of another lever 117 which can turn on the shaft 38. The lever 117 is provided with an inclined lug 118 (FIG. 4) with which a pin 119 fixed to a bent lug 121 ofa horizontal lever 122 (FIG. can cooperate. The horizontal lever 122 is pivoted on a fixed vertical pivot 123 and is connected by a connecting rod 124 to a second lever 126 pivoted in turn on a second fixed vertical pivot 127. The lever 126 is provided with a lug 128 engaged in an aperture 129 in the plate 14 and forming a stop for the vertical right-hand edge ofthe check 22. A spring 130 normally holds the lug 128 bearing against the left-hand edge of the aperture 129.

The aligning device operates in the following manner.

With the plate 16 in the open position of FIG. 1, the check 22, on which it is desired to print data, is inserted at the from between the plate 16 and the plate 14. The check 22 then rests on the plate 16 and on the platen 10. By depressing the key 86, the lever 82 is turned clockwise and, by means of the extension 81 and the pin 79, causes the lever 77 to turn counterclockwise. The connecting rod 76, in turn, causes the lever 72 to turn in the same direction and the end 71 of this lever 72 releases the projection 70 of the arm 69. The spring 65 now causes the tooth 62 to turn counterclockwise.

When the shoulder 63 of the disc 64 then encounters the tooth 62, this tooth 62 is rotated counterclockwise by the shaft 43 for 180,together with the disc 60, the sleeve 59 and the eccentric 58 (FIG. 3), until the projection 73 (FIG. 1) of the tooth 62 is arrested against the end 74 of the lever 75, disengaging the tooth 62 from the disc 64. The eccentric 58 thus causes the connecting rod 57 to be shifted forward (to the right in FIG. 3) and the connecting rod 57 causes the bail 54 to turn counterclockwise The arm 87 (FIG. 1) of the bail 54, acting through the connecting rod 88, causes the arm 89 to turn clockwise together with the shaft 91 and the arm 92. The springs 96 then pull forward the two connecting rods 93, which therefore cause the two arms 94 to turn counterclockwise together with the shaft 17 and the plate 16. The plate 16 then bears resiliently against the roller 23 in the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 1.

At the same time, the arm 53 (FIG. 3) of the bail 54 turns counterclockwise and, via the rocking lever 51, pulls the lever 46 counterclockwise against the action of the spring 49. The projection 45 of the lever 46 then releases the clutch 44, which sets the pulley 42 in rotation counterclockwise. Through the medium of the belt 41, this pulley 42 causes the pulley 39 (FIG. 6) to rotate in the same direction together with the bevel gear 37. This bevel gear 37 causes the bevel gear 36 to turn clockwise together with the shaft 32 and the bevel gear 33. In turn, the bevel gear 33 causes the bevel gear 34 to rotate in the same direction together with the shaft 24 and the roller 23. The roller 23 then urges the check 22 downwards, the friction of the check 22 on the plate 16 being smaller than the action of the spring 28 on the bail 26.

When the check 22 is stopped by the stop bar 21, it is aligned against this bar 21. Since the friction of the roller 23 on the check 22 is enormously greater than that of the check 22 on the plate 16 and overcomes the action of the spring 28 on the bail 26, the roller 23 now rolls on the check 22, causing the bail 26 to revolve in the rotational direction of shaft 32, while the bevel gear 34 rolls on the bevel gear 33. The bail 26 thus turns through 90 about the shaft 32, tensioning the spring 28, until the lug 27 of the bail 26 is arrested against the lug 31 of the angle bracket 30 in the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 6. Since the check 22 has not yet been arrested in the transverse direction, as soon as the roller 23 has arranged itself horizontally the bevel gear 33 causes the gear 34 to rotate again counterclockwise together with the roller 23, which now urges the check 22 to the right (to the left in FIG. 6).

When the check 22 now encounters the lug 128 (FIG. 5), it urges the latter to the right for a certain stroke, thus causing the lever 126 to turn counterclockwise in opposition to the action of the spring 130. In turn, the connecting rod 124 causes the lever 122 to turn in the same direction and its pin 119, acting on the inclined lug 118, causes the lever 117 (FIG. 3) to turn clockwise. Through the lever 113, the lever 117 acts on the pin 111 of the rocking lever 51, which is turned clockwise and disengages the pin 50 from the hooked projection 48. The spring 49 then restores the lever 46 to the position of FIG. 3 and the projection 45 of the lever 46 reopens the clutch 44, as a result of which the roller 23 (FIG. 1) stops.

The printing device 11 now prints the desired data on the check 22, while the carriage 12 advances step by step to the right in known manner. When the carriage 12 reaches a predetermined transverse position corresponding to the end of the line of data to be written, the pin 108 engages the inclined lug 107 (FIG. 2) of the lever 103 (FIG. 1). This lever 103 is now turned clockwise and, through the medium of the connecting rod 102, causes the lever 99 to turn in the same direction. The pin 98 of the lever 99 then causes the lever 75 to turn counterclockwise, releasing the projection 73 of the tooth 62 from its end 74. The tooth 62 is rotated counterclockwise by the spring 65, so that when the disc 64 on the shaft 43 reengages the tooth 62 the disc 60 is rotated through l together with the eccentric 58 (FIG. 3) until the projection 70 (FIG. 1) is again arrested against the end 71 of the lever 72.

The eccentric 58 (FIG. 3) now brings the connecting rod 57 back into the inoperative position together with the bail 54. Through the arm 53, the bail 54 reengages the pin 50 of the rocking lever 51 with the hooked projection 48 of the lever 46. In turn, the arm 87 of the bail 54 (FIG. 1), acting through the connecting rod 88, the arms 89, 92, the connecting rods 93 and the arms 94, brings the plate 16 back into the open position of FIG. 1, so that the check 22 can be withdrawn manually.

We claim:

1. Document-aligning device for office machines comprising:

a. a guide plate for a document;

b. first and second stops for arresting two edges of a document on said plate in two mutually perpendicular directions;

c. a rotatable roller;

d. means to support said roller for rotation against said plate;

e. means to rotate said roller to urge a document between said roller and said plate against said first stop; and

f. means responsive to an inserted document being arrested by said first stop permitting said means to support to rotate through substantially whereby said roller urges said inserted document against said second stop.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said mans to rotate comprises a pair of bevel gears and said means to support is held in position by a spring over which the friction of the roller against the document prevails when the document is arrested against the first stop, whereby said means to support rotates about an axis perpendicular to the rotational axis of said roller.

prises a key and said operating means comprises a two-position element shiftable responsive to said key from an inoperative position to a working position, said two-position element then bringing said plate to its operative position, said operating means further comprising a clutch actuable by said twoposition element to set said roller in rotation.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein said second stop comprises means responsive to said document being aligned to deactuate said clutch.

6. A device according to claim 4, wherein the machine comprises means for effecting relative shifting step by step between the platen and the printing device, and an operating element responsive to the reaching of a predetermined rela- .tive position between said platen and said printing device to bring said two-position element back to its inoperative position.

7. A device according to claim 4, wherein said two-position element is constituted by an eccentric adapted to be rotated in steps of via a second clutch provided with diametrically opposite stop elements, said stop elements cooperating individually with two separate operating members one of which is connected to the said key,'the other connected to said second stop. 

1. Document-aligning device for office machines comprising: a. a guide plate for a document; b. first and second stops for arresting two edges of a document on said plate in two mutually perpendicular directions; c. a rotatable roller; d. means to support said roller for rotation against said plate; e. means to rotate said roller to urge a document between said roller and said plate against said first stop; and f. means responsive to an inserted document being arrested by said first stop permitting said means to support to rotate through substantially 90* whereby said roller urges said inserted document against said second stop.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said mans to rotate comprises a pair of bevel gears and said means to support is held in position by a spring over which the friction of the roller against the document prevails when the document is arrested against the first stop, whereby said means to support rotates about an axis perpendicular to the rotational axis of said roller.
 3. A device according to claim 1 in an office machine comprising a platen and printing device in which said plate is included in a front feeding device for the document and is normally disposed in an inoperative position with respect to the roller and including operating means actuated by a single control for bringing said plate up to said roller into an operative position and for setting said roller in rotation.
 4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said control comprises a key and said operating means comprises a two-position element shiftable responsive to said key from an inoperative position to a working position, said two-position element then bringing said plate to its operative position, said operating means further comprising a clutch actuable by said two-position element to set said roller in rotation.
 5. A device according to claim 4, wherein said second stop comprises means responsive to said document being aligned to deactuate said clutch.
 6. A device according to claim 4, wherein the machine comprises means for effecting relative shifting step by step between the platen and the printing device, and an operating element responsive to the reaching of a predetermined relative position between said platen and said printing device to bring said two-position element back to its inoperative position.
 7. A device according to claim 4, wherein said two-position element is constituted by an eccentric adapted to be rotated in steps of 180* via a second clutch provided with diametrically opposite stop elements, said stop elements cooperating individually with two separate operating members one of which is connected to the said key, the other connected to said second stop. 